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Discussion Topics for Today's Classroom

We are all familiar with physical, industrial robots, but what about robots that work in offices? In fact, they are already taking up posts around the world alongside their human counterparts. What opportunities does the Virtual Workforce present, and why are organisations choosing them to facilitate better service, faster growth and to react more quickly to market opportunities? This talk examines the art of the possible and how a Virtual Workforce can increase both the job satisfaction of human workers and transform the way that enterprises and global service providers deliver value. David Moss is CTO and Co-founder of Blue Prism Limited, a UK tech company formed in 2001 to pursue the dream of delivering the vision of robotics into the oce environment. David is a technologist and thought leader in the Robotic Process Automation movement and a pioneer in the creation of the Virtual Workforce concept.

1) Robotic Process Automation is the next step in productivity enhancement brought about by technology. What is the key issue here about robots replacing humans?

2) Why has it taken (and continues to take) so long to get robots (automation) into the service industry whereas it has been around for decades (arguably since the late 1800s) in the industrial setting?